Getting into summits for free

Getting into summits for free

There are lots of interesting conferences that occur around the country, but most of them cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to attend. This is because of the fees required to run large events. The cost is normally footed by companies who pay for certain employees to go. These events can sometimes be the best networking sites and eye-opening to people trying to break into the industry. So how as a student can you get into summits for free, without having to work several extra months?

The easiest would be to search on the summit’s page to see if there are any discounts or free tickets for students. These may be a little rarer, but they do exist!

What I did was make a list of the conferences going on in my city and message all the organizers. I introduced myself as a student looking to gain knowledge about the industry, and that this conference was the perfect opportunity. Some of the organizers emailed me back offering a heavily discounted price on the ticket.

I also offered to volunteer in exchange for being allowed to view the summit freely for a couple hours. This is particularly effective for summits that are multiple days long. For example, for a certain 2-day conference, they offered that if I volunteered for the first day, I would get the second day free to attend.

Now you know how to get into summits for free! At the actual event, don’t forget to make good use of your time! Prepare ahead of time by practicing your elevator pitch and figuring out how to exchange contact information smoothly.